Hose.



UNTTEE STATES PATENT QFETQTQ;

EDWIN T. GREENFIELD, OF KIAMESHA, NEW YORK.

HOSE.

Specification of Letters latent. Patented Dec. 2?, 1910.

Application filed January 20, 1908. Serial No. 411,583.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN T. GREENFIELD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kiamesha, in the county of Sullivan and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hose, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to flexible metallic hose adapted particularlyfor use in carrying' steam and compressed air.

The invention is of special utility in flexible end-connectors forjoining the ends of the pipes for carrying steam and compressed air onthe several cars of a railway train, the hose being made flexible inorder t-o allow for relative movement of the cars when rounding' curvesand when the springs of the draft rigging are compressed or extended.

The object of the invent-ion is to provide a hose which may be used forthis purpose and which possesses the requisite amount of flexibility,which is constructed of metal so that it will not deteriorate rapidlywhen in use as do the forms of hose now commonly employed for thispurpose, and which may be manufactured at small cost and readilyinstalled in place.

T have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of theend-connectors, Fig. 2 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 5, Figs. 3 and 4are sectional views on the lines 3-3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 1,and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the pivotal connection of the twoparts of the end-connector, the section line being the line G- of Fig.5.

Referring to these drawings, 4, 4 indicate t-he downwardly turned endsof the train pipes on two adjacent cars of a railway train. These endsare connected together by flexible end-connectors 5, each of which isconnected to a pipe 4 at one end and has fixed thereto at the other enda coupling member 6 whereby the free ends of the two end-connectors aredetachably joined so as tc complete the passage for the steam orcompressed air from the pipe 4 on one car to that on the other. Theend-connectors 5 are made of meta-l so that they will be well able toresist the action and strain thereon of the steam or compressed airpassing through them, and these connectors are so constructed as toprovide the resiliency necessary for maintaining the passage for thesteam or air throughout the relative movements of the two cars of thetrain.

Each end-connector consists of a flexible vertically-disposed portionconnected at its upper end to the end of pipe 4 and having its lower endpivotally connected to a tubular member extending horizontally, crsubstantially horizontally, and having the detachable coupling member 6secured to its end. Thus when the distance between the two cars isincreased or diminished the tubular member of each end connector willturn on its pivot relative to the vertically-disposed member and thelatter will flex in thc proper direction. The pipe 4 is turneddownwardly at its end and this end is threaded to receive aninteriorlyand exteriorly-threaded sleeve 7. This sleeve effects ltheconnection between the tube 4 and the flexible portion of theend-connector, the latter consisting of tubular end members S and 9 andone or more tubular members 10 and l1, all of these being securedtogether to form a continuous passage for steam or air therethrough. Thetubular member 8 is interiorly threaded at one end to coact with thesleeve and at the other end has an annular portion 12 integral therewithand provided with a flange 13 at its edge. The portion 12 is disposed ina plane transverse to the axis of the tubular member and the flange 13extends from the outer edge of this port-ion parallel to that axis. Eachof the members 10 and 1l consists of a metallic sleeve having rigidlysecured to each end thereof an annulus 14 of thin metal, the exteriordiameter of which is substantially the same as that of the flange 13. Awasher 15 of leather or other suitable material is inserted between theedge of flange 13 and the face of the annulus 14 on the member 10adjacent to the outer edge of the lat-ter and these two parts aresecured together by means of a plurality of bolts 16 extending throughopenings in the flange 13 and the annulus 14. The tubular members 10 and11 are similarly secured together by bolts 17 passing through openingsat the outer edges of the annuli 14 and through openings in a spacingring 18, washers 15 being provided on either side of this ring 18. Thetubular member 9 is similar in all respects to the member 8 and issecured by bolts 19 in the manner above described to the lower end ofthe tubular member l1. At

with a tube 21 the end ofwhich is threadedl and connected by means ofthis thread with ay pivotal coupling member 22 (Figs. 2 and 5). Thiscoupling member is provided with a hollow tapered extension 23 having aplurality of openings through the wall thereof and a threaded boss 24Ebeyond this tapered extension. The coacting coupling member 25 fits onthe tapered extension 23 and is held thereon by a nut 26 threaded on theboss 24. This member 25 is threaded to receive one end of a tube 27 tothe other end of which the detachable coupling 6 is conn ected.

The end-connector at the right of F ig. 1 is constructed in all respectslike that on the left as above described. The end-connectors are of suchsize that when the cars of a train are at the normal distance apart thetubes 27 of the end-connectors are disposed at somewhat of an angle tothe horizontal7 as shown in F ig. 1. Then when the two cars moverelatively, the tubes 27 will turn relatively to the vertically-disposedportions of the end-connectors either toward a horizontal or verticalposition tov partially compensate for the increased or decreaseddistance between the two cars. This compensation is also effected by theflexing of the vertically-disposed portions of the e1idconnectors7 thisiiexing being provided for by the metallic annuli 14C which, for thispurpose, are made of thin metal, such that while possessing amplestrength they may be flexed in any direction. It willfurther be seenthat since this hose is constructed of metal, it will not be injuriouslyaected by the fluid passing therethrough. All of the parts of theend-connector can be readily manufactured and quickly assembled so thatthe end-connectors may be produced at comparatively low cost.

Having described my invention what I claim as new therein and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A flexible end-connector for a train-pipe consisting of a tubularmetallic member adapted to be connected to and to extend downwardly fromthe end of the train-pipe and having in its wall a plurality ofsubstantially flat annuli of thin metal disposed in a planesubstantially transverse to the axis of the member, said annuli beingadapted to flex to permit bending of the member but normally holding themember against flexure, a rigid tube pivotally connected at one end tothe lower end of said member and adapted to extend laterally therefrom,and a detachable coupling on the free end of said tube, substantially asset forth.

This specification signed and .witnessed vthis 14th day of J any., 1908.

EDWIN T. GREENFIELD. Witnesses:

WM. T. RUETO, CHAS. E. WILSON.

